Automatic train-pipe coupling



April 24,1928.

A. C. HARRELL AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING Filed Ju1y6. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l v Swwmbm 15,. 6'. Earrqll GHZo Mmf.

April 24, 1928. Y 1,667,033

A. c. HARRELL AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING Filed July6. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 6'. Harrell .3 WM v- Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

v :Aa'rnpr. o. HABRELQ, .orrnitsacoria, rrioanaa I mam *ws i-ei a mam slimm rat Th Pre n v tienfirslete toimprov ments in automatic tra n pipe' coupl ng, and

consists in certain improvements in the de vice'illustrated and'desc'rlibedfinUf S. Patents Nos 1,359,395," granted November .6, v

1920' mi 1,407,665, granted February 2 3 An object of the inventioiiis to provide means for securing the couplinghe'ads of the train pipe more securely together to prevent leakage and accidental uncoupling. I

ot ie l the in-ventimi t Pr w ain s r ascen io epe tin a guys an ders.,

With the foreg oin'ga n'd other objects in view,"theinvention "will be more fully de scribed hereinafter; and will be'inorepargu forth? j istoln springvyl e s li rl Painted out iath claim ap nded hereto.

n" t d awin w le r ml k ym ol refer to like or correspond ngparts throughout the several views I -ew l a tap Plan i w, wit Part devi eic broken away, of a ing tothe presentinvention; 7

of. one o itll Figure 2 shows an' end view cylinders and adjacent part-s;

Figure 3 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the coupling head arrangement.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line l4t in Figure 3. 1 Figure 5 is an enlarged plan view with parts broken, away showing one of the heads. Figure 6 is a similar View with the head turned at substantiallyright angles from the position, shown in Figure 5. c Figure '7 is an end view of the same, and Figure 8 is a perspective view showing one of the coupling heads. Y

Referring inoreparticularly to the drawings, 9 and 10 designate the piston spring cylinders which are more particularly described in the patents, aforesaid, and through which the train pipes 11 and 12 extend having the coupling heads 13 and 14 on the abutting ends thereof. At 15 is shown the sleeve carried by each cylinder or car with the cuff 16 at the outer end thereof, and the cuff and sleeve having'the cam slot 17 for the purpose of rotating the coupling heads in opposite directions, whereby to interlock the same.

As shown in Figure 2, the piston spring cylinders are supported by a number of preferably four, strong spiral springs 18, such springs being connected-to the outer estriij te aeeq dfa 2 sea 19-1 1.29431 ref cylin er, and t9 erma iti supports on the 'car fraine or. floor of the car.

cylind tof8, the heads 13 and 14' a1'e-ro,tatab ly ferredito in the priorlpatents aboveinen- "tionccl, iforrns no particular part, .ofhe Prese 1 .,inv ;nti0n-' T c upl g heads re al o. p tQ Wi,th,. h pin 9t me20- I'hese pips pre eiably have the rollers 21 and whi h e s tl e1wm' 1 -S .in'the c fi l n sl e-r s'to theipurpo 'e of mpa ing .1

i i-t a s 'th head l and 1% in pp sit di-. P tt es A l the h ad ar b u h o e h Ilach coupl ng" head; is provid d with a lan [smegma the pi-1. 1.1 th opposi e coupling xt ndi f qu te a is ance b 'yer t ouplin he d-by which t is a rie .tt va dthe'oth'er coiip'ling'head, "so asto overlap the em ssio 'cquplinghe d .andtobe ipf'a new t ens? h Pin 0. the Le ter. 1 0 rlln ea l s dvan age u t9 herefli e 'dand t us. n erlock 'n he heads. TI-liege claws ar'ein the form 0 long n; fis ne s Piei l s riv -ea rotherwi 'e cur to t e upli g heads; and each claw Th sesns m gu a d guide to t e. y

i i YBefernu g inure partieularlyto Figures 3 mounted 111 ion t heends of the train pipes. 'llus consruct on 1s rnore partlcular'lyrebetween the ends of the supportQ for the j i rotary head inorder to avoid binding of the rotary parts upon the fixed parts when the pin and itsrolleri engage in thejcam slot and effect turning movement of the rotary portion of the coupling head. For the purpose of avoiding leakage between the cou- 1 pling'hea'ds, howeventhe elongated claws engaging at the points where the pins must be located'are rather ineffectual and buttwo of these claws have been proposed in the] prior patents,' such claws being located at 180 apart, The result is that leakage is apt to occur at points substantially ;fron1 the claws, and it is to 1 avoid this expensive and annoying condition that the present invention has been developed.

The invention consists in supplementing the action of the claws and in making the action more POSltlVQ'tOWflld the prevention of leakage and also to avoid accidental uncoupling of the parts. In accordance with the inventiomthecoupling heads are provided with knuckles 25 and 26 which are intended to interlock upon a line intersecting I I another and with the rounded sockets in the.

adjacent end portions 01 the holding bars, also mutually opposed, so that upon rotation oi? the coupling heads the opposed knuckles will move into interlocking engagement and cam the coupling heads together and into proper position with respect to the claws and pins. The knuckles are thus engaged by virtue merely of bringing the coupling heads together and rotating the same, this rotary action being secured bv the engagen'ient of the pins or the rollers thereon with the offset slots 17 in the cuffs and sleeves. The device will effectually preventleakage and owing to the depression into which the noses of the knuckles snap, the rotary heads will be held against accidental uncoupling and this condition will prevail until the heads are actively rotated 'by withdrawing the same away from each other. I

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above spec itically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

Vihat is claimed is I 1. In combination with opposed train line sections 'havlng rotary heads, a radial pinv on each head, a claw carried by each coupling head and extending beyond the coupling head for engagingthe pin on the opposite head, and knuckles on the coupling heads at substantially 90 from said claw, said knuckles having opposed noses with depressions at the bases of the nosesi or receiving the opposed *noses whereby coupling heads may be drawn together and locked against accidental rotation.

} 2. In combination with an automatic train pipe coupling having meeting-rotary heads, a pin projecting; from each head, a claw on each head for engaging the pin on the opposite head, knuckles carried by 'each head intermediate the pin and claw and project toward the opposite head, said knuckles being angularly displaced i'rom the pin of each head, said knuckles having opposed intei'iocking noses withinclined engaging faces adapted for intertitting engagement when the heads are brought together and turned to sin'iultaneously interlock the. knuckles when said claws are interlocked with the pins whereby to draw the heads together adjacent their meeting faces and at points out of line with the engagement of the claws with the pins.

ARTHUR c. HARRELL. 

